Can't I Cultivate Myself? Chapter 25

If the other side was a Second Tier Transcendent, they most likely wouldn't be able to beat them.

And there was also a chance Jack's ability would be seen through.

The kid was too young.

"Captain, isn't there any other way? If we wait any longer, they'll leave."

"Don't rush." Ryan waved a hand. "It'd be better if they leave. Let them take the map and go—we'll just intercept Norman. They know the defensive layout, but so do we. The advantage is ours."

"Huh?"

After thinking it over carefully, Jack immediately understood.

"Captain, as expected of you."

He gave a thumbs-up.

About ten minutes later, Norman came out and got into a car.

There was another person with him.

Meanwhile, over by the factory, Ryan saw two people quickly leave. They were probably Transcendents—their speed was so fast that they vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.

Two against two.

"Can you stop that car?" Ryan asked.

"Piece of cake."

The two hid along the car's only route. As Norman drove over, Jack raised his right hand and gripped his right wrist with his left. A milky white glow shone from his right palm.

Transcendent power!

Boom!

The space on the street twisted. The car slammed into an invisible spatial barrier with a dull thud. Since he wasn't wearing a seatbelt, Norman, who was driving, lurched forward violently and smashed his head against the steering wheel, going still.

Because the car wasn't moving very fast, it wasn't reduced to wreckage.

Just then, the car door was kicked open by monstrous force. Ryan drew his gun and fired without a word.

But the other party was fast, dodging the shots.

Without needing Ryan to say anything, the brave college student charged out. He did so while invisible, intercepting the enemy midway when they tried to rush over and take Ryan out, then slammed a fist hard into their head.

"Pegasus Fist!" Jack shouted.

"Meteor Fist! Butterfly Fist! Explosive Leg! Count your sins!"

Ryan froze. What the hell was that?

Jack had clearly received combat training. His fighting skills were even fiercer than Ryan's. Having seized the initiative, he suppressed the opposing Transcendent so thoroughly that they had no chance to fight back.

No... kid, where did you learn those embarrassing lines?

Seeing Jack had the upper hand, Ryan rushed over to the car to check on Norman.

Norman was dizzy-eyed, and waves of intense pain radiated from his chest.

"Director!"

Hearing the voice, Norman turned his head and instinctively reached for his gun to attack.

"Don't shoot, Director, it's me. Friendly!" Ryan said in a low voice. "Lord Adler sent me to meet you!"

Norman paused, somewhat unable to make sense of the situation.

But since Ryan knew Adler, he had to be one of their own.

"Director, do you know me?" Ryan asked.

"You... who the fuck are you?" Norman cursed. "What the hell is going on?!"

He didn't know him. That made things easier.

"The League of Fire has their eyes on you."

"So it was them. Damn it..." Norman looked through the car window at the two fighting in the distance and said viciously, "Take that guy out for me!"

"Of course. Everything for Grand Duke Marganna. But the situation has changed... Director, did you tell the Hand of Darkness about the Bureau of Investigation?"

"Isn't that obvious? What else did I come here for?"

"How did you tell them?"

"Obviously, I gave them the defensive layout map."

"Do you still have that map?"

"Of course. The one I gave them was a copy."

"What about the other map?"

"On me... Why the fuck are you asking so many questions? Hurry up and get me out of here first!"

Norman cursed loudly. His brain had been scrambled by the impact, and he almost failed to realize why he was wasting time talking to Ryan here.

"Oh."

Ryan pressed the revolver to Norman's forehead. "Director, I'll send you on your way now."

Norman froze. "What are you going to do..."

Bang!

His head exploded.

You didn't recognize me and still dared to act so arrogantly?

Ryan searched Norman's pockets and found the Train Station's guard deployment map. This time, Adler had arranged for the General Bureau to take over security management, so only Norman knew the full situation; Jonathan did not.

Considering that "Lin Qi" had also joined the battle to protect Her Highness the Princess, Ryan ultimately decided to act. It was important for them to use the guard deployment map to deduce the Hand of Darkness's plans.

As for Norman, dead was dead. He would have died sooner or later anyway. If Adler asked later, Ryan could just pin the blame on the League of Fire.

"If even someone at Norman's level doesn't recognize me, then it seems only Adler knows my identity... Heh~ Then getting rid of him will let me clear my name completely."

Inner World and Melee

The Hand of Darkness member who had accompanied Norman was merely a bodyguard responsible for keeping him safe.

An ordinary First Tier Transcendent, he had been subdued by Jack alone.

It had to be said that Jack's Transcendent Power was truly incredible. His ability to distort space was probably a profession from the Janus Path, something rarely seen throughout the Empire.

Incidentally, the League of Fire was an official force of the Empire, but the Transcendents they recruited did not necessarily have to believe in the Sun Path. After all, their purpose was to protect the Empire, not to spread the faith of a particular Deity.

"Captain, this guy's taken care of. Where's Norman?"

Jack came over carrying the unconscious Transcendent. When he saw Norman slumped against the seat, his head blown apart, he jumped in fright.

"H-he... is he d-dead?"

"A firefight broke out. I didn't pay attention for a moment." Ryan waved a hand. "Don't worry. We've already got what we needed."

"This map?"

"Yeah, the defensive deployment... Damn it, a Police Officer like me has to go out of my way to get information from the Bureau of Investigation. But with this thing, we should be able to help them over there."

"Ah, y-yeah... definitely."

Jack could not help glancing at Norman again, his face looking somewhat pale.

"Never killed anyone before?"

"No..."

Ryan nodded. Jack was still too young. Jonathan probably could not bear to train him into a killer.

"You head back first. Leave the rest to me."

"Now?" Jack hesitated. "Captain, will you be okay by yourself?"

"Sometimes, you need to have a little more faith in adults." Ryan patted him on the shoulder. "Go back and get some rest. You did very well today. I'll tell Director Jonathan."

"Then... all right."

Since Ryan had put it that way, Jack did not insist any further.

Ryan drove him back to the East District. On the way, he threw the captured Transcendent into a cell at the Bureau of Investigation's branch office, then headed for the Train Station.

This car was quite sturdy. It still ran perfectly after crashing once, though it looked a little battered.

"Where did you get this car? Did you get into an accident on the way?"

Outside the Train Station, Ryan drove over to deliver the map to Jonathan.

"Director Norman's."

Ryan briefly explained what had happened not long ago.

He did not mention that he had gone straight for Norman. Instead, he said that Jack had discovered something unusual after turning invisible.

"I see." Jonathan did not seem surprised in the slightest. "I always thought there was something wrong with that guy. I just didn't expect him to be colluding with the Hand of Darkness."

"Unfortunately, we couldn't find the person behind him. Her Highness the Princess probably won't be pleased."

Jonathan waved his hand. "Don't worry. I have some leads."

"Director, you've guessed who it is?"

"Why are you so surprised? I've worked in Berman City for over a decade. It wasn't for nothing."

How big was Berman City, anyway?

As a Level 3 Investigator of the League of Fire, Jonathan had information on nearly every person in power. Going through those records to find people connected to Norman would not be difficult.

He could already think of two people, though further investigation was needed to confirm it.

"All right, Ryan. Go back to the Bureau of Investigation first. I'll contact you whenever there's news."

What came next would be a battle between Transcendents, and Jonathan had no intention of letting Ryan join in.

"Take care, Director."

After handing the deployment map to Jonathan, Ryan drove away again.

When it was nearly three o'clock, he found a corner table in a Coffee Shop, drank coffee, and opened the game.

Empress Online, activate!

Train Station.

'Lin Qi' stood among the crowd at the edge of the platform.

The outer area of the station had been taken over by Police Officers. Because of Cassidy, all other incoming trains had been notified to clear the way for Her Highness the Princess's safety.

Through 'Lin Qi's' eyes, Ryan could only see the patrolling Police Officers. He had no idea where the members of the League of Fire were.

However, two Transcendents from the Gate of Janus stood not far to either side of 'Lin Qi.' Lia had sent them to assist with 'Lin Qi's' operation and protect her while they were at it.

Both Transcendents were Tier Two.

According to Jonathan's plan, they had set up the barrier in advance. Once the train entered the station, whether or not the Hand of Darkness attacked, they would activate the barrier immediately.

The barrier was a direct method of separating Transcendents from ordinary people. It was also known as the 'Inner World.' Only Transcendents could enter it; ordinary people could leave, but not enter.

The setup process was complicated, requiring Soul Jade, an array formation, and certain special materials.

Once the Inner World unfolded, it became a separate space of its own. Even if it was damaged, it would not affect the real world, and ordinary people would unconsciously stay away from the Inner World.

This was done to protect ordinary people as much as possible while preventing the existence of Transcendents from being discovered.

Three o'clock.

Ryan checked the time.

Three Oh One, then two minutes... Delayed trains were normal, but once the time passed three, the noisy Train Station seemed to fall silent all at once, until several long whistles broke the quiet.

Toot—Toot—

On the Game Interface, the Black Train approached from the distance. At that very moment, the Hand of Darkness Transcendents who had been lying in wait broke through the Police Bureau guards' defensive line and surged out from all directions.

They intended to use the same trick again—make the incoming train fly through the sky for a while.